PROFESSOR CORSON'S 



XAMINATION QUESTIONS 



I N 



ENGLISH LITERATURE. 



THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY, FALL TERM, 1870-71 



ITHACA: . 

THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS. 

1870. 




PROFESSOR CORSON'S 



Examination Questions 



THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY, FALL TERM, 1870-71. 



In passages that are given without questions, students will uc required to 
explain such words as are employed in unusual or obsolete senses, and such 
grammatical constructions as differ from present usage. These are some- 
times designated by italics. 

V.^hen the subjunctive mood is employed without the usual modem aux- 
iliaries, may^ would^ could, if, let, etc., its particular force must be stated, 
namely, whether it is used optatively, or to express a condition or a con- 
sequence of a condition, or a purpose after that, expressed or understood, 
or whatever other force it may have. 



IN 




ENGLISH LITERATURE. 



\ 



MACBETH. 



Act I, Sc. i. — Hover through the fog and filthy air." 

Sc. 2. "As seemeth by his pUght," . . . State the function of this 
clause. 

"'Gainst my captivity." . . . Explain the expression. 
"/^ that The multiplying villanies of nature do swarm upon 
him " . . . 

''Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;" . . . Explain of, and 

compare its use here with an equivalent use of French de, 
"Confronted him with self-comparisons," . . . Explain. 
"That now Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition ; " 
Syntactical connection of clause ? Explain composition. 
Sc. 3. . . . "who neither beg nor fear Your favours nor your hate." 
How must the verbs and objects be taken ? 
"His wonders and his praises do contend Which should be 

thine or his ; " Explain the thought. 
"New honours come upon him," etc. 
'■'■Come what come may," . . . 
Sc. 5. "And that which rather thou dost fear to do," . . . 
"To have thee crowned ivithair . 
"Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more " 
Than would make up his message." Supply the ellipsis. 
"To alter favour "... Explain impHed metaphor. 
Sc. 6. "The love that follows us sometime is our trouble. 
Which still we thank as love." Explain the thought. 
Sc. 7. "If it were done when 'tis done," et seq. Explain the 
construction, and give the two different punctuations the 
passage admits of Analyze the several feelings presented 
in this speech, which lead to the resolve to "proceed no fur- 
ther in this business." 

Act II, Sc. i. — "She strike upon the bell." Connection of the clause? 
"Which was not so before." To what does which refer ? 
"It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes." 

Explain informs and its grammatical use. 
"With Tarquin's ravishing strides," . . . Explain the application 
of the epithet ravishing \.o strides. 
Sc. 2. "The attempt and not the deed Confounds us :" Explain. 
"Infirm of purpose ! " Construe infirm. 

"If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal," . . . 

What is the implied object of withal ? 
''retire we to our chamber : " . . . 
- Sc. 3. "he should have old turning the key." Explain this use of 

old and give other examples of a like use from Shaks- 

peare. 



4 



EXAMINATION ^ESTIONS 



Act. II, Sc. 3. "I'll make so bold to call, For 'tis my limited service." Ex- 
plain limited. 

"As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites, 

To countenance this horror ! Explain the last expression. 

"Against the undivulged pretence I fight," . . . Explain. 

"Let's briefly put on manly readiness," . . . Resolve the implied 
meaning. 

What art purpose is served by the introduction of Ross and an 

old man, in Act II, Sc. 4 
"That darkness does the face of earth entomb," . . . Syntax of 

this clause ? 

Act III, Sc. i. — "Fail not our feast." The relation of feast to fail^ 

direct or indirect ? 
"When therewithal we shall have cause of state," . . V/hat is the 

force of therewithal ? 
'-'"while then, God be wi' you ! " 

"To be thus, is nothing ; But to be safely thus : " Supply the 

ellipsis, and construe to be safely thus. 
"And, to that dauntless temper of his mind," etc. Force of 

to ? 

■ "For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind; 
For them the gracious Duncan have I murther'd : 
Put rancours in the vessel of my peace 
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel 
Given to the common enemy of man, 

To make them kings," . . . Explain filed, and miiie eternal 
jewel) expand the metaphor, "Put rancours in the vessel of 

my peace," into irs simile ; what is the ethical force of the 

repetition of for them, and them ? 
"And champion me to the utterance ! " Explain and give de- 
rivation of to the utterance. 
"How you were borne inlhand," . . .Explain the expression, 

and give other examples of its use. 
"Are you so gospell'd To pray for this good man and for his 

issue," . . . Force of the infinitive ? 
. . . "whereby he does receive Particular addition, from the bill 

That writes them all alike : " What antecedent is impHed 

m :\fro77i ? 

''always thought That I require a clearness." Explain the con- 
struction of this clause. 

"And something from the palace ; " Construe sojnething ; ante- 
cedent term of from ? 
Sc. 2. " 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy. 

Than, by destruction, dwell in doubtful joy." Explain the 
thought. 

"Using those tl.oughts which should indeed have di.^d 

With them they think on ? " Force of using ? 

^Things without all remedy . . . Force of without, and how 



IN ENGLISH LITE RAT URE. 5 

does the expression diiTer from without any remedy of 
present usage ? 

Act III, Sc. 2. "Unsafe the while," . . . What is the construcdon ? 

"Gentle my lord, sleek o'er your rugged looks ; " Explain this 
use of che adjective before my. 
Sc. 4. " 'Tis better thee without than he within." What two inter- 
pretations does rhis senLej';ce a-m-^it of? 
"You do not give the cheer ; " What is the force of the defini- 
tive the in this sentence ? 
. , . "the feast is sold That is not often vouch'd, while 'tis 
a-making,'Tis given with welcome." Explain the prehx(2-; to 
what misconception has res omission before the verbal noun 
in modern English given rise ? 
"If trembling I inhabit then," etc. Give the various explana- 
tions of this passage, and the conjectural emendations. 
Sc. 5. "And you all know, security 

Is mortal's chiefest enemy." How does the use of security 
here diner from present usage ? 
Sc. 6. "The cloudy messenger turns me his back, ... Explain this 
use of me and give other examples from Shakspeare. 

Act IV, Sc. i. "Who can impress the forer-t;" m what special sense is im- 
press used ? 

" What need I fear of thee V" Explain the use of What. 
" That twofold balls and treble sceptres carry :" What is the 
allusion here ? 

"But no more sights 1" What is referred to here ? What 
other readings have been proposed ? 
Sc. 2. To fright you thus, methinks I am too savage ;" Explain the 
force of the infinitive, here, and in Act V. Sc. 2. "Who then 
shall blame his pester'd senses to recoil and start," . . . 
Sc. 3. " Desire his jewels, and this other's house : " How is his 
used here ? Latin equivalent ? 
" Scotland hath foysons to fill up your will, 
Of your mere own." 

" but strangely-visited people. All swoln and ulcerous, pitiful 
to the eye. The mere despair of surgery, he cures ; " . . . 

State the distinction between the Elizabethan use of the word 
mere and the present use ; give other examples of its use 
by Shakspeare. 

"Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness," . . . Scan this verse. 
In what respect did the earlier accentuation of English differ 

from the present ? 
"And does blaspheme his breed V" What was the original 

sense of blasphejue ? 
"Died every day she lived. Fare thee well I" Explain the 

construction of Fare thee well: 
"ten tholisand warlike men, Already at a point," . . . Ex- 

plam the phrase at a point : " and the chance of goodness Be 



6 



EXAMINATION StUESTIONS 



like our warranted quarrel !" Explain chance of goodness. 
Force of be ? 

Act ly, Sc. 3. " their malady convinces The great assay of art How is 
convinces used ? Where is it again so used in the play ? 
Has 'the reference to the King's evil anything to do with the 
progress of the drama ? Or, why is it introduced ? 
" Dying or ere they sicken." Explain or ere. 
Act V, Sc. 2. "Excite the mortified man." What interpretations have 
been given of this passage, and what is its probable meaning % 
Sc. 5. " I have supp'd full with horrors." What is the force oi 

with ? Antecedent term ? 
Sc. 7. . . " either thou, Macbeth," Construe thou. 
" There thou shouldst be ;" Force of shouldst ? 
" We have met with foes That strike beside us." 
Is Clark and Wright's explanation of strike beside us satisfactory, 
or can a better one be given ? 
Sc. 9. " Whiles I see Uves, the gashes Do better upon them." 
Explain the form of whiles. 
" In the unshrinking station where he fought,". . . What is the po- 
etical purpose of this transference of the epithet unshrink- 
ing from the pronoun he to the noun station, to which 
it is not logically applicable ? 
At what period does Shakspeare place the reign of Macbeth ? 
What evidence is there in the play that it was written after the 
accession of James I to the English throne ? 



JULIUS C^SAR. 



Act I, Sc. i. "You ought not walk,'' . . . Explain the origin of the to now 
usually prefixed to the infinitive. 
"Upon a la bourifig d?iy" ... In what respect does the use of 
labouring in this expression differ from its use in the expres- 
sion a laborifig man ? Explain the ground of the differ- 
ence. 

State the two uses of the present participle in Modem English, 
and their origin. 

What distinction was made in the English of Shakspealre, in 
the use of thou and you ? Give examples ;^from this 
play. 

Sc. 2. "That gentleness and shew of love as I was wont to have : 
"I turn the trouble of my countenance 

Merely upon myself," In what respect did the use of mere 



IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 



7 



and merely in the Elizabethan English, differ from present 
usage ? 

Act I, Sc. 2. "I had as as lie/ not be," etc. 

"His coward lips did from their colour fly ; " Explain and ex- 
pand the metaphor. 

"And that same eye, . . . Did lose kzs lustre." Explain this use 
of Ms, and give the origin of the present neuter genitive 
ifs. 

"Such men as he l^e never af hearfs ease, 
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves ; " 
"he plucked me ope his doublet," . . . 
Sc. 3. "And we are governed with our mothers' spirits;" What dis- 
tinction is now commonly observed in the use of by and 
with ? 

Sc. 3. 105. "Coesar doth hear me hard; " Act II. Sc i. 199. "Caius 
Ligarius doth bear Ccesar hard,'^ . . . Act. HI. Sc. i, 344. 
"I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard," . . . 

Act II. Sc. i. "That at his will he may do danger with." Give the history 
of the word danger, and explain its use in this and the fol- 
lowing passage, in Act I, Sc. i. : "I am, indeed, sir, a sur- 
geon to old shoes ; when they are in great danger, I recover 
them." 

Sc I. "Dear my lord," . . . Explain this form of expression. 

Sc 2. "I would not, so with love I might entreat you, Be any fur- 
ther moved." Force of so ? 

Sc 3. ^''Security gives way 'to conspiracy." Explain the thought 
and state the difference between this use of security and the 
present use. 
"The mighty gods defend thee ! " 

Act hi. Sc. i. — "He is addressed : press near and second him. 

. . . "Be not fond. To think that Caesar bears such rebel 
blood, ... 

"And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive 

"Doth not Brutus bootless kneel ? " Explain the connection 
of this thought with what precedes. 

"Speak, hands, for me." The ist folio reads, "Speake hands 
for me." What change is made in the construction by 
Craik's punctuation ? And which reading is more in accord- 
ance with the usual construction of Shakspeare's language ? 

"Do so ; — and let no man abide this deed," . . . 

"Stoop, then, and washy In what special sense is wash proba- 
bly used ? 

"With the most boldest and best hearts of Rome." 

"I know that we shall have him well to friend," Explain this 

use of to. In what expression in the present English is it 

similarly used? 
"Tell him, so please him come unto this place, 
He shall be satisfied." 



s 



EXAMINATION ^ESTIONS 



Act III, Sc. 2. , . . "and my misgiving sM Falls shrewdly to the purposed 
... '■'■Fare thee well." 

"Who else must be let blood, ¥/ho else is rank : " 

^'Zwe a thousand years, I shall not find myself so apt to die : " 
As here, by Caesar and by you, cut off," ... Is Craik's punc- 
tuation of this passage in accordance with the sense Or 
is that of the ist folio better? "As here by Caesar, and by 
you cut off," . . . 

"Shall it not grieve thee, dearer than thy death," . . . 

"Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven 

Ere I had seen that day ! " Hamlet I, 2. 

*'My father hated him dearly'' As You Like It, I, 3. 

Give Home Tooke's explanation of the word dear^ as used in 
these passages. 

^'■Produce his body to the market-ulace ; " Force of prodtice . . , 

to'i 

Sc. 2. "Have respect to mine honor," ... " Censure me in your 

wisdom ; " . . . "The question of his death" . . . "his glory 

not extenuated,^' . . . "nor his offences enforced" . . . 
"What cause withholds you, then, to mourn for him ? " Force 

of the infinitive in this sentence ? 
^^As rushing out of doors, to be resolved If Brutus so unkindly 

knocked or no ; " 
"This was the most unkindest cut of all : " How may the double 

superlative be logically justified ? 
"Here is himself, marred, as you see, with traitors ; " 
Sc. 3. '•'Are rid like madmen through the gates o-f Rome." 
Act IV, Sc. i. "And, in some taste., is Lepidus but so ; " 

. . . "one that feeds On objects, arts, and imitations, Which, 
out of use," etc. Explain. What change was made in the 

punctuation by Knight? 
"But not with such familiar instances, . . . Force of instances ? 

In what expression in the present English is the earlier sense 

of the word instance preserved ? 
. . . "you yourself Are much co7idemned to have an itching palm;" 

. . . Present force of condemn to, and its force here ? 



MERCHANT OF VENICE. 

State the probable sources from which Shakspeare derived the plot of 
" The Merchant of Venice," and the earliest known forms of the two stories 
which are combined in it. 

Upon what principle does Shakspeare seem ^o have proceeded in always 



IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 



9 



working upon the basis of a previously existing story or play ? And in thus 
working, how does his genius especially show itself? 

What is the earliest known allusion to The Merchant of Venice ? And 
what internal evidence is there that its first compositicgi was earlier by some 
years than the date of this allusion ? 
When were the two quarto editions printed ? 

State what you know of the history of the four folio editions of Shaks- 
peare's dramas. 

Act I, Sc. i. What is remarkable in regard to the openings of all of 
Shakspeare's Plays? 
How does the first speech of Antonio bear upon the devel- 
opment of the play ? 
Sc. I. lo. . . "the pageants of the sea," . . . To what was the word 
pageant first apphed ? What is alluded to in its use in this 
passage ? 

Sc. I. 17. I should be still Plucking the grass, . . . What change has 
the meaning of still undergone ? Any difference in the Eng- 
lish and the American use of still ? 
Sc I. 15. ... had I such venture forth, . . . What does modify ? 
Sc. I. 23. ... "when I thought What harm a wind too great at sea 

might do." Force of thought V 
Sc. I. 35. . . . *'but even now worth this^ And now worth nothing ?" 

Force of this and of now now ? Parse nothing. 

Sc. I. 36. "Shall I have the thought To think on this, and shall I 

lack the thought" . . . etc. What is the logical connection 

of these two sentences ? 
Sc. I. 62. " Your worth is very dear in my regard." First emphatic 

word in this sentence ? 
Sc. I. 68. " We'll make our leisures to attend on yours." Explain 

this line. 

Sc. I. 79. "And mine a sad one." Supply the ellipses. What does 

the expression Hmit .? 
Sc. I. 79. " Let me play the fool:" Force of the ? 

What figure of speech ? 
Sc. I. 87. "I love thee, and it is my love that speaks — " 

For what purpose is this sentence introduced ? 
Sc. I. 95. "O my Antonio, I do know of these" . . . Explain the 

force of of. 

Sc. I. 96. " That therefore only are reputed wise For saying noth- 
ing," .... How does the construction of this sentence dif- 
fer from the present English syntax ? See Isaiah v. 13. 
John viii. 47. 

Sc. I. 102. " For this fool gudgeon," . . . Construe fool and ex- 
plain gudgeo7i. 

Sc. I. 124. " By something showing" ... 129. .. . "something too 
prodigal" .... Construe something in each of these expres- 
, sions. 



10 



EXAMlNAriON ^ESTIONS 



Act I. Sc. I. 126 "make moan to be abridged From such a noble 

rate ; " . Explain the thought and state the force of to be 
abridged. 

Sc. I. 141. " I shot his fellow of the self-same flight." .... Explain 
of the selfsame flight .... What was the usual neuter genitive 
in Elizabethan Enghsh ? 

Sc. I 146 " like a wilful youth, That which I owe is lost;" 

Supply the elhpsis. What two constructions appear to have 
been in the poet's mind when he wrote this sentence .? * 

Sc. I. 150. "As I will watch the aim," .... Force of as? 

Sc. I. 183. "Go, presently inquire," .... Usual sense of presently 
in Shakspeare's day ? 

Sc. I. 185. " and I no question make To have it of my 
trust" .... What is the force of the infinitive to have ? 
What does it limit ? 
Sc. 2. 29. " never be chosen by any rightly but one who shall 
rightly love." The reading of this passage in all the FoHos 
and in all the Quartos, v/ith the exception of Quarto I, is 
" never be chosen by any rightly, but one who you shall 
rightly love :" In departing from this latter reading, have 
not the editors, Clark and Wright, evidently mistaken the 
construction of who you shall rightly love ? Construe 
What illustration is afforded by the scene between Portia and 
Nerissa of the distinctive use of thou and you in Shaks- 
peare's English. 

Sc. 2. 51. "a better bad habit of frowning than the Count Palatine ;" 

Parse better. What is the force of the word here ? 
3- 55- " Rest you fair, good signor Explain the construction 

of this expression. 
Sc. 3. 133. . . "in a merry sport," . , . To what does this phrase 

belong ? 

Sc. 3. 137. ..." let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Of 

your fair flesh" . . . Force of equal ? 
Sc. 3. 163. " See to my house, left in the fearful guard Of an un- 
thrifty knave," . . . Explain the use of fearful., and state the 
general Elizabethen use of adjectives m ful, less, ble and ive. 
Act II, Sc. 5. 29. . . . "the wry-neck'd fife," . . . Explain the appHcation 

of the epithet "wry-neck'd." 
Act III, Sc. i. 7. "my gossip Report" . . . Explain the use of ";/rF." 

Sc. I, 59. "and it shall go hard but 1 will better the instruction." 
Construe. 

Sc. I, 70. ..." a diamond gone, costmQ'' . . . "two thousand ducats 
i7t that]''' Parse the italicized words. 

" No news of them ? why, so : Force of " so ?" 

" Why, thou loss upo7i loss !" Force of " upon' Implied an- 
tecedent term of the relation ? "creditors . ■ . that swear he 
cannot choose but break.' Construe. " But Antonio ^s cer- 
tainly undone. Nay, that's true," ... To what has tL j neg- 
ative import of " Jtaf reference ? 

State the evidence which the scene between Shylock and Tubal 



IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 



ii 



presents, that the latter is lying all the while, and that, in 
accordance vrith the malice ascribed in the play, to him and 
all his race, he is merely indulging his humor, by irritating 
the twofold passion unaer which Shylock is labouring. 
Act III, Sc. i. " Go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue," . . . What dra- 
matic purpose, if any, has this sentence 
Sc.. 2. 20. " Prove it so, Let Fortune go to hell for it, not I." Re- 
solve this condensed thought into its elements. 
Sc. 2. 73. "So may the outward shows be least themselves 

Force of so ? Explain the thought. 
Sc. 2. 131. " You that choose not by the view, 
Chance as fair and choose as true !" 
Mood and force of the verbs chance and choose ? 
Sc. 2. 196, 210. " With all my heart, so thou canst get a wife." Mad- 
am, it is, so you stand pleased withal. Elliptical force implied in 
so ? Mood and force of stand"^. 
Sc. 2. 204. " For wooing here, until I sweat again,''' . . . Force of 
again ? 

Sc. 2. 225. "He did intreat m^, past all saying ?iay,'" . . . Parse the 
italicized words. 

Sc. 2. 257. " Engaged my friend to his mere enemy," , . . Distinction 

between the Shaksperian, and present use of jnere 2 
Sc. 4. 20. " In purchasing the semblance of my soul 
From out the state of hellish misery !" 

Expand this elliptical expression. 
Sc. 41. 4. " Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you !" The 

verb alfe7id, how used '? 
Sc. 4. 59. " wx'll see our husbands Before they think of us." Supply 

the ellipsis. 

Sc. 4. 69. . . . "and tell quaint Hes," . . . Sense and etymology of 

quaint Trace the present from the earlier sense. 
Sc. 3. 52. "An army of good words; and I do know 

A many fools," etc. To what French expression is good words 
equivalent ? What equivalent expression in the present En- 
glish to A niajiy ? What smiilar expression ? 
Sc. 5. 62. And if on earth he do not mean it, then 

In reason he should never come to heaven. Clark and Wright 
consider this passage corrupt, but it is only rendered obscure 
by an equivocal use of a certain word ; which is it ? 
Act IV. Sc. i. 51. . . . "Now for your answer: " Force oiyour'2 

Sc. I. 113. "I am a tainted wether of the flock," . . . Double meaning 
of tainted ? 

Sc. I. 128. "And for thy life let justice be accused." Force of for 

thy life ? 

Sc. I. 176. "You stand within his danger, do you not?" Earlier 

sense of danger ? Any example in the Scriptures ? 
Sc I. 182. . . . "it is twice blest; " Peculiar use of blesti 
Sc. I. 192. "And earthly power doth then show likest God's," . . . 

Show IS in its nature transitive ; what makes it appear here to 
be used mtransitively ? 



12 



EXAMINATION ^ESTIONS 



Sc. I. 251. "Are there balance here to weigh the flesh ?" Why is 
the verb plural ? 

Sc, I. 274. "Repent but you that you shall lose your friend, 

And he repents not that he pays your debt ; " The folios all 
read, Repent nof you. In adopting the reading repent hut, 
have not Clark and Wright mistaken the force of repent ? 



CHAUCER'S PROLOGUE. 

1 . Give the usual noun-declensions of Chaucer's EngHsh, in the gen. and 
iat. sing., and the nom. and gen. pi., with examples of each. Exceptional 
forms. What does the final -e of the nom. sing, usually represent. 

2. How is the definite form oi adjectives distinguished from the indefi- 
nite. Give examples of the two forms. What definite adjectives are gene- 
rally used without the distinctive ending ? Examples. What is the usual 
plural form of adjectives ? What adjectives usually drop the distinctive 
plural ending '2 

3. Give the usual inflections of weak verbs in the Indicative mood, 
pres. and past tenses. What verbs end in -t in the 3d person sing.? Exam- 
ples of each. 

4. How do strong verbs form their past tense and their past participles ? 
Past plurals ? Examples of each. 

5. 'Give the inflections of the subjunctive mood, pres. and past tenses, 
sing, and pi. 

Give examples of the Subjunctive Mood used optatively, and to express a 
condition or a consequence of a condition, and to signify purpose, without 
the use of the modern auxiliaries. 

6. Inflections of the Imperative Mood, sing, and pi.? Give examples. 
Infinitive endings ? Examples. Which of the infinitive endings is most 
used ? What generally determined the use of the other ending ? 

7 What two participial endings were in use in the English of the XlVth 
century ? Which was generally used by Chaucer, and which by Gower ? 
What varied use of the two forms is presented by the Wycliffite versions ? 
How was the verbal noun distinguished from the present participle ? What 
prefix do past participles frequently take ? 

8. How are adverbs formed from adjectives ? from nouns? What is the 
usage of the language in regard to the employment of negatives, especially 
when emphatic ? Give examples of the negative united with the verb. 

9. In what kind of verse are the Canterbury Tales written ? When did 
this system of versification come into general use in England ? What is the 
form of the Anglo-Saxon poetry ? What variations does Chaucer's verse 
present in regard to metre ? What is an acephalous verse ? 

10. In what respect did the accentuation of the Enghsh of the XlVth 
century differ from that of the present English ? And how must the ac- 
centuation which prevailed have affected the enunciation of words ? 

11. State the various endings and inflections of the Anglo-Saxon of which 
the final -e is a residual or a representative. When is the final consonant of 
the stem doubled before e ? Give examples of this last. 



IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 



13 



12. AVhat are the general rules in regard to the syllabic value of the final -e 
in verse ? 

13. Scan the following verses, and explain where the final -e is sounded, 
and where it is mute : 

V. 38. To telle yow alle the condicioun. 

53. Aboven alle naciouns in Pruce. 

90. All ful of fresshe floures, white and reede. 
102, At that tyme, for him lust ryde soo. 
132. In curtesie was sett al hire leste. 
148. But sore wepte sche if oon of hem were deed. 
183. And I seide his opinioun was good. 
221. Full sweetly herde he confessioun. 
235. Aud certayn he hadde a mery noote. 

Scan the last verse without Morris's addition of [//J to cei'tayn. 

14. 249. And overal, their eny profyt schulde arise. 
311. A Sergeant of Lawe, war and wys. 

341. An househaidere, and that a grer, was he. 
385. He cowde roste, seihe, broille, and frie, 

Make mortreux, and wel bake a pye. 
417. He kepte his pacient wondurly wel. 
535. And thanne his neighebour right as himselve. 
557. His nose-thurles blake were and wyde. 

A svverd and a bocler baar he by his side. 
567. A gentil Maunciple was ther of a temple. 
767. For trewely comfort ne merthe is noon. 
823. Ye woot youre forward, and I it you recorde. 

Of the following selections from the Prologue, the portions which will be 
indicated at the examination by the drawn numbers, students will be re- 
quired to scan, to explain the language when necessary, and to note the 
grammatical significance of the final -e. 

THE MONK. 
A Monk ther was, a fair for the maistrie, 

An out-rydere, that loved[e] venerye ; 

A manly man, to ben an abbot able. 

Ful many a deynte hors hadde he in stable : 

And when he rood, men might his bridel heere 

Gyngle in a whistlyng wynd so cleere. 

And eek as lowde as doth the chapel belle. 

Ther as this lord was keper of the selle, 

The reule of seynt Maure or of seint Beneyt, 

Bycause that it was old and somdel streyt, 

This ilke Monk leet [him] forby hem pace. 

And held aftur the newe world the space. 

15. He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen. 
That seith, that hunters been noon holy men ; 
Ne that a monk, whan he is cloysterles, 
Is likned to a fissche that is watirles, 
This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre. 
But thilke text hild he not worth an oystre. 
And I seide his opinioun was good. 
What schulde he studie, and make himselven wood, 
Uppon a book in cloystre alway to powre, 
Or swynke with his handes, and laboure. 
As Austin byt ? How schal the world be served ? 
Lat Austyn have his swynk to him reserved. 
Therforc he was a pricasour aright ; 
Greyhoundes he hadde as swifte as fowel m flight ; 
Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare 
Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. 



165 



170 



175 



180 



185 



190 



EXAMINATION ^ESTIONS 



I saugh his sieves purfiled atte hond(e) 
With grys, and that the fynest of the lond(e). 
And for to festne his hood undur his chyn(ne) 
He hadde of gold y-wrought a curious pyn(ne) : 
A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther .was. 
His heed was ballid, and schon as eny glas, 
And eek his face as he hadde be anoynt. 
He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt ; 
His eyen steep, and rolling in his heed(e) 
That stemed as a forneys of a leed(ej ; 
His bootes souple, his hors in gret estat. 
Now certeinly he was a fair prelat ; 
He was not pale as a for-pyned goost. 
A fat swan loved he best of eny roost. 
His palfray was as broun as eny berye. 

THE PARDONER. 

With him ther rood a gentil Pardoner 
Of Rouucival, his frend and his comper, 
That streyt was comen from the court of Rome. 
Ful lowde he sang, Com hider, love, to me. 
This sompnour bar to him a stif burdoun, 
V^as never trompe of half so gret a soun. 
This pardoner hadde heer as yelwe as wex, 
But smothe it heng, as doth a strike of flex ; 
By unces hynge his lokkes that he hadde, 
And therwith he his schuldres overspradde. 
Ful thinne it lay, by culpons on and oon. 
But hood, for jolitee, ne wered he noon, 
For it was trussud up in his walet. 
Him thought he rood al of the newe get, 
Dischevele, sauf his cappe, he rood al bare. 
Suche glarying eyghen hadde he as an hare. 
A vernicle hadde he sowed on his cappe. 
His walet lay byforn him in his lappe, 
Bret-ful of pardoun come from Rome al hoot. 
A voys he hadde as smale as eny goot. 
No berd ne hadde he, ne never scholde have. 
As smothe it was as it were late i-schave; 
I trowe he were a geldyng or a mare. 
But of his craft, fro Berwyk unto Ware, 
Ne was ther such another pardoner. 
For in his male he hadde a pilwebeer. 
Which, that he saide, was oure lady veyl ; 
He seide, he hadde a gobet of the seyl 
That seynt Petur hadde, whan that he wente 
Uppon the see, til Jhesu Crist him hente. 
He hadde a cros of latoun ful of stones. 
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones. 
But with thise reliq(u)es, whanne that he fand 
A pore persoun dvvellyng uppon land. 
Upon a day he gat him more moneye 
Than that the persoun gat in monthes tweye. 
And thus with feyned flaterie and japes. 
He made the persoun and the people his apes. 
But trewely to tellen atte laste, 
He was in churche a noble ecclesiaste. 
Wil cowde he rede a lessoun or a storye, 
But altherbest he sang an ofifertorie ; 
For wel he wyst(e) whan that song was songe. 
He moste preche, and wel affyle his tunge, 
To Wynne silver, as he right wtl cowde ; 
Therfore he sang ful meriely and lowde. 



IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 15 

THE PROPOSAL OF THE HOST. 

19, ' Lordynges,' quoth he, ' now herkeneth for the beste ; 
But taketh not, I pray you, in disdayn ; 
This is the poynt, to speken schort and playn, 

That ech of you to schorte with youre weie, 785 
In this viage, schal telle tales tweye, 
To Caunturburi-ward, I rnene it so, 
And hom-ward he sclial teilen othur tuo. 
Of aventures that ther han bifalle. 

And which of vow that bert;t]i him best of alle, 790 
That is to seye, that telleth in this caas 
Tales of best sentence and of solas, 
Schal han a soper at your alther cost 
Here in this place sittynge by this post, 

Whan that we comen ageyn from Canturbery. 795 
And for to make you the more mery, 
I wol myselven gladly with you ryde. 
Right at myn owen cost, and be youre gyde. 
And whoso wole my juggement withseie 

Schal paye for al we spenden by the weye. 800 

And if ye vouche sauf that it be so, 

Telle me anoon, withouten wordes moo. 

And I wole erely bchappe me therfore. ' 

This thing was graunted, and our otluis swore 

With ful glad herte, and prayden him also 805 
That he wolde vouche sauf for to doon so. 
And that he wolde ben cure governour, 
And of our tales ju'gge and i cp )rtoar, 
And sette a souper at a certeyn prys ; 

And we wolde rewled be at his devys, 810 
In heygh and lowe ; and thus by oon assent 
We been accorded to his juggement. 
Ancl therupon the wyn was let anoon ; 
We dronken, and to reste wente echoon, 

Withouten eny lengere taryinge. 815 

21, A morwe vvdian that the clay bigan to sprynge, 
Up roos oure ost, ana was oure althur cok, 
And gaderud us togidur alle in a flok, 

And forth we riden a litel more than paas. 

Unto the waterynge of seint Thomas. 820 
And there oure ost bigan his hors areste. 
And seyde; ' Lordus, herkeneth if yow leste. 
Ye woot youre forward, and 1 it you recorde. 
If eve-song and morwe-song accorde, 

Let se now who schal telle ferst a tale. 825 

As evere I moote drynke wyn or ale, 

Who so be rebel to my juggement 

Schal paye for al that by the v\-eye is spent. 

Now draweth cut, er that we forther twynne ; 

Which that hath the schortest schal bygynne.' 830 
* Sire Knight,' quolh he, • (my) maister and my lord. 
Now draweth cut, for that is myn acord. 
Cometh ner,' quoth he, ' my lady prioresse ; 
And ye, sir clerk, let be your scharafastnesse, 

Ne studieth nat ; ley hand to, every man.' 835 

22. Anon to drawen every wight bigan, 
And schortly for to teilen as it w as. 
Were it by aventure, or sort, or cas. 
The soth is this, the cut hi to the Knight, 

Of which ful glad and blithe was every \vight ; 840 

And telle he moste his tale as w as resoun, 

By forward and by composicioun, 

As ye han herd ; what needeth wordes moo ? 



16 EXAMINATION ^ESTIONS. 

And whan this goode man seigh that it was so, 
845 As he that wys was and obedient 

To kepe his forward by his fre assent, 
He seyde : ' Syn I schal bygynne the game, 
What, welcome be thou cut, a Goddus name ! 
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye.' 
850 And with that word we ridden forth oure weye 

And he bigan with right a merie chere 
His tale, and seide right in this manere. 



MILTON^S PARADISE LOST. 

BOOKS 1-3. 

In the case of a single word, the student will state (i), its logical connec- 
tion or relation, (2), its special force when necessary, and (3), when used in 
a se ise different from the present, in what respect different. In the 
case of a phrase, that is, a relation and its complement, or of a subordi- 
nate clause, he will state its function, whether substantive, adjective, or ad- 
verbial, and what it limits or qualifies. Clauses are indicated by their ex- 
treme words. 

No. I. B. I., V. 5, Restore, regain; v. 8. seed; v. 9, 10, how . . . chaos; v. 

28, tract; v. 32, For one restraint; v. 38, by whose aid; v. 49, 
who . . .arms; v. 82, thence; v. 118, through; v. 762, chief; 
V. 769, with, Z(2/. eqiiivaleiitl v. 777, but; B, II. v. 23, Estab- 
lished, object of ^ V. 40, by, antecedent term oft n. 170, what; v. 
328, as . . . heaven, supply ellipsis \ v. 517, alchemy; what fig- 
ure'^. V. 666, shape; v. 685, That. B. III. v. 34, So, force of \ 
V. 347, uttering; v. 362, in. 

No. 2. B. I. V. 205, island; v. 234, thence; v. 240, as gods; v. 241, not, 
by; v. 261, secure ; v. 266, oblivious; v. 278, signal; v. 284, 
shield ; V. 317, If . . . spirits; v. 320, for; v. 329, transfix ; v. 340, 
waved; v. 365, till; v. 384, gods; v. 451, with, B. II. v. 50, 
thereafter, explain; v. 52,unexpert; v. 119, much; v. 165, what; 
173, 174, should ... us V. 181, sport and prey; v. 483, lest, 
force of 'I V. 555, In, antecedent term v. 650, to the waist; v. 
673, had on. B. III. v. 2, of; v. 48, Presented; v. 358, where 
. . . stream; v. 407, discerned. 

No. 3. B. I. V. 462, upward, downward; v. 479, abused; v. 507, The rest 
were long to tell; parse rest, were, tell; v. 563, in ; v. 644, so; 
V. 648, who ... foe; V. 651, 654, that . . . heaven ; v. 672, 674, 
undoubted . . . sulphur; v. 683, else ; v. 696, strength, art; v. 
700, nigh; v. 724, wide; v. 736, to well; B. II. 3, 4. where 
. . . kings; v. 171, Awaked; v. 174. what; v. 299, than; v. 
514, of, antecedent term ? v. 561, lost; v. 652, serpent; v. 675, 
onward; B. III. 7, stream; v. 345, multitude; v. 418, upon; v. 
470, fondly. 



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